Enhancing search results with social networking data

Abstract

A method of enhancing search results pertaining to an item with information about the item from a social network is disclosed. It is detected that a user is searching for information about the item in a context outside of a social networking context. Data relating to the item is collected from a social network of the user. A notification of the data relating to the item is generated to supplement a search result that is to be presented to the user in response to the searching.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A system comprising:
 one or more processors; 
 one or more modules incorporated into a network-based publication system, the one or more modules implemented by the one or more processors, the one or more modules configured to, at least: 
 detect that a user is searching for information about an item by submitting a search using an application executing on a device of the user; 
 based on the detecting, collect data relating to the item from a social network of the user, the data relating to the item pertaining to a purchasing of the item by an additional user, the additional user having a relatedness to the user in the social network of the user; 
 identify a type of the data as corresponding to one of a plurality of pre-determined types of data, the pre-defined types of data including at least one of knowledge about the item, ownership of the item, feedback provided about the item, a rating of the item, a willingness to sell the item, expertise in using the item, or purchase guidance pertaining to the item; 
 determine a relevance score to associate with the data based on a relevance of the type of the data to the search; and 
 generate a notification relating to the item, the notification including the data, the relevance score, and a specification of the purchasing of the item by the additional user, to supplement a search result that is to be presented to the user in response to the submitting of the search. 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1 , the processor-implemented module further configured to determine that the additional user has the knowledge based on an identification that the additional user has the item in a personal inventory. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 1 , the processor-implemented module further configured to determine a source of the data, the source being an additional user, and wherein the generating of the notification is based on a relatedness between the user and the additional user. 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the item is a service; 
 the data relating to the item is a rating of an experience of an additional user with respect to the service, the additional user having a relatedness to the user in the social network of the user; and 
 the notification includes the rating. 
 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the application is configured to present a search result including at least one of pricing information and inventory information for the item with respect to stores within a proximity to the user. 
     
     
       6. A method comprising:
 incorporating instructions into a memory of a marketplace system, an implementation of the instructions by one or more processors of the marketplace system configuring the marketplace system to perform operations, the operations including: 
 detecting that a user is searching for information about an item by submitting a search using an application executing on a device of the user; and 
 based on the detecting, performing operations including: 
 collecting data relating to the item from a social network of the user, the data relating to the item pertaining to a purchasing of the item by an additional user, the additional user having a relatedness to the user in the social network of the user; 
 identifying a type of the data as corresponding to one of a plurality of pre-determined types of data, the pre-defined types of data including at least one of knowledge about the item, ownership of the item, feedback provided about the item, a rating of the item, a willingness to sell the item, expertise in using the item, or purchase guidance pertaining to the item; 
 determining a relevance score to associate with the data based on a relevance of the type of the data to the search; and 
 generating a notification relating to the item, the notification including the data, the relevance score, and a specification of the purchasing of the item by the additional user, to supplement a search result that is to be presented to the user in response to the submitting of the search. 
 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , further comprising determining that the additional user has the knowledge based on an identification that the additional user has the item in a personal inventory. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 6 , further comprising determining a source of the data, the source being an additional user, and wherein the generating of the notification is based on a relatedness between the user and the additional user. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 6 , wherein the item is a service;
 wherein the data relating to the item is a rating of an experience of an additional user with respect to the service, the additional user having a relatedness to the user in the social network of the user; and 
 wherein the notification includes the rating. 
 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 6 , further comprising boosting the relevance score based on the type of the data corresponding to one of the following: the purchase guidance pertaining to the item or the rating of the item. 
     
     
       11. A non-transitory machine readable medium embodying a set of instructions that, when incorporated as one or more modules into a network-based publication system, cause one or more processors of the network-based publication system to perform operations, the operations comprising:
 detecting that a user is searching for information about an item by submitting a search using an application executing on a device of the user; and 
 based on the detecting, performing operations including: 
 collecting data relating to the item from a social network of the user, the data relating to the item pertaining to a purchasing of the item by an additional user, the additional user having a relatedness to the user in the social network of the user; 
 identifying a type of the data as corresponding to one of a plurality of pre-determined types of data, the pre-defined types of data including at least one of knowledge about the item, ownership of the item, feedback provided about the item, a rating of the item, a willingness to sell the item, expertise in using the item, or purchase guidance pertaining to the item; 
 determining a relevance score to associate with the data based on a relevance of the type of the data to the local commerce search; and 
 generating a notification of the data relating to the item, the notification including the data, the relevance score, and a specification of the purchasing of the item by the additional user, to supplement a search result that is to be presented to the user in response to the submitting of the search. 
 
     
     
       12. The non-transitory machine readable medium of  claim 11 , the operations further comprising determining that the additional user has the knowledge based on an identification that the additional user has the item in a personal inventory. 
     
     
       13. The non-transitory machine readable medium of  claim 11 , the operations further comprising determining a source of the data, the source being an additional user, and wherein the generating of the notification is based on a relatedness between the user and the additional user.